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Volvo Trucks Salutes America's Safest Drivers

18 August 1998

Volvo Trucks Salutes America's Safest Drivers; Fifty-five Truck Drivers Honored For Safety Milestone

    DUBLIN, Va., Aug. 18 -- Could you do it -- drive more than
three million miles without a fender-bender? Even if you drove 20,000 miles
annually, it would take 150 years.
    Now, consider that this feat was accomplished by 55 drivers from behind
the wheel of a truck, traveling Interstate highways and crowded urban streets.
    At a 10 a.m. news conference held today at Volvo Trucks North America,
Inc.'s truck assembly plant, executives from Roadway Express, Inc. and Volvo
Trucks recognized one of the largest groups of safe drivers ever assembled in
the United States. Each of the 55 drivers from Roadway has accumulated more
than three million miles without encountering an accident.
    Combined, these Roadway drivers have traveled 178 million accident-free
miles. On average, it takes a driver 25 years of accident-free driving to
reach the three-million-mile mark.
    The veteran drivers were each given the keys to a new Volvo truck to
recognize their accomplishments. As part of Roadway's safety-recognition
program, the drivers will be permanently assigned to the new Volvo trucks,
which have their name and "3 Million Miles Safe Driver" displayed on the door.
    Forty-six drivers from as far away as Texas participated in the news
conference and drove their new trucks home. The remaining drivers were unable
to attend the event.
    The Roadway drivers left Volvo Trucks' New River Valley Assembly Plant in
new Volvo VN Series trucks. The trucks are among an order of 400 currently
being produced by the work force of 2,400 at the plant. In addition, Roadway
has an option to purchase 1,100 more Volvo trucks.
    "Individually, each driver has achieved a safety milestone that represents
the pinnacle of success for a truck driver," said Marc Gustafson, president
and CEO of Volvo Trucks. "Each one is a credit to his family, his profession,
his company and this industry. Volvo also commends each driver for sharing the
roads safely with millions of other motorists."
    According to Gustafson, there is a tremendous expense associated with
safety research. "But human life is precious. So we must always remember that
trucks are made by and for people. The basic, guiding principle for all our
manufacturing processes is and must remain safety.
    "We are proud to build the safest truck in North America and to have some
of America's safest drivers operating them," Gustafson said. "The Volvo VNM
and other members of the Volvo VN Series are the only trucks built in North
America to pass the world's toughest safety testing."
    In addition to passing the world's toughest tests for structural
integrity, the Volvo VN Series was designed to help truckers better share the
road with passenger cars. The highway tractors are standard with antilock
braking systems (ABS) and daytime running lights (DRLs). While ABS helps
truckers maintain control of a vehicle in hard braking situations, DRLs make
tractor-trailers more conspicuous to other highway users, even in daylight.
    Currently standard on some passenger cars, Volvo Trucks' DRLs
automatically turn on when the parking brake is released. Studies in North
America and abroad have shown they reduced two-vehicle, opposite-direction,
daytime collisions.
    A large, one-piece, curved windshield and forward-sloping side windows
provide truckers with excellent visibility to the front and sides of the
truck. The sloping hood allows drivers to see objects closer to the front of
the truck than previous models. A special mirror above the passenger-side
window helps truckers see objects directly to the right of a tractor-trailer.
    The Volvo VN Series has a splash and spray control system to lessen the
spray of water onto nearby vehicles during inclement weather. This system of
inner fenders and shields is engineered to capture the water spray created by
the vehicle and channel the water downward to the road.
    A curved turn signal-side marker light combination is visible from the
front and side of the truck by other motorists. It incorporates a unique light
tab that is easily seen from an automobile -- even if the motorist has already
passed the low-mounted side turn signal repeater located just behind the
truck's door.
    Volvo Trucks North America, Inc. manufactures Class 8 Volvo trucks and
tractors. The company leads the heavy-truck industry in the areas of safety
research and development, quality manufacturing processes and environmental
care. The company also markets Volvo heavy-duty diesel engines, transmissions,
and rear suspensions. Headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., the company is an
affiliate of Volvo Truck Corporation, Gothenburg, Sweden.